We actually might be getting better at recruiting coaches/staff to Essendon.
The last two - Ben Brown and Trav Varcoe - are really, really good gets. High quality people who would be in demand at other clubs.
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Fixed
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He forgot that he had family in port Adelaide (again) and had to move home?
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FF: Ugle-Hagan Caddy Kako
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Must like his clubs like his ice cream. VANILLA.
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We do have a Rookie B list which is specifically for indigenous players, and donāt have any on there.
So the club is doing the right thing by bringing in Development coachesā¦ā¦ but as per the last 20 years, weāve been let down by recruiting.
I think youāll find heās still got plenty of time on his handsā¦
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You really just need an intention to have more indigenous players on the list. Better to have the resources available for when the players arrive than to try and organise them later.
And also, of course, thereās the practical money component.
As of 2025:
To further support the Healthcare and Mental Health and Wellbeing teams at Clubs, the healthcare model has been reformed to include expanded expenditure capacity for priority resources including doctors, psychologists, allied health professionals, and the Indigenous Player Development Manager.
Travis Varcoe the Assistant Coach is a soft cap cost. Travis Varcoe the Indigenous Player Development Manager is not. And if Varcoeās chatting to Gresham and Davey and the topic of playing forward comes up, and Kako and Menzie happen to be walking past, well, whoās to say what they might hear.
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Tom Morris (one of the few that i trust) said juh wonāt be playing for a Victorian club next year as none are interested, just a few hours ago on ch9.
I think itās good that itās been recognised as an issue, but Iām extremely sceptical that an extra list spot will acheive anything for indigenous players.
Thereās the rookie B list, which clubs rarely ever fill, specifically for indigenous players. So Iām not sure why an extra list spot does anything differently.
saying that tho, Iām in favour of even more list spots available.
I also think itās a serious fall from grace, that we didnāt have anyone from the club on the sub-committee to improve outcomes for indigenous playersā¦ā¦ considering this clubs history. Just taking a dreamtime pay-check I guess.
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Rookie B list gets filled with NGA guys these days. I mean, weāve filled ours - Nguyen and Huss. But the multicultural academy products have thoroughly crowded indigenous kids out of the rookie B list spots, and thatās really only an acceleration of a process thatās been going on for over a decade.
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El- Achkar was taken in the ND.
I think the last spot has been taken by Bourke.
But saying that, we havent filled the rookie B list since we delisted Munkara.
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I forgot Bourke, fair enough.
Except that itās not specifically for them though. Can be NGA, can be from another sport, Irish, etc. Sounds like this will be a spot specifically for them and only them.
But yeh, the cat b in its current form is usually not filled (this year being an exception). So itās a moot point from an efc perspective.
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Isnāt the rookie B list full now
Nguyen and Bourke. As it was cut from 3 to 2 during covid.
The irony of essendon having the Dreamtime game is that it feels as though we have the least commitment towards First Nations people of any other club.
In around 2023 we seemed to make an effort to boost our commitment to support First Nations players at the club but this seemed to last for about 3 months tops. Paddy Ryder and Quinton Narkle were both recruited to provide support to Indigenous players but didnāt last more than a few months. Do we have anyone currently in that role?
Over the past 3 years, we have lost Mankara, A Davey Jnr, J Davey, Tippa. Gresham is still on our list, but he came in as an established player rather than as a young recruit (and who knows if he will still be here next year).
For the past five years (at least), the difference between Richmond and Essendon in terms of the cultural connection to the Dreamtime game has been stark.
I believe that having the Dreamtime game is a privilege that comes with obligations to First Nations people. Is the club meeting these obligations at the moment?
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Are we doing any less or more than other clubs outside of list spots? Eg work in the community etc
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Great points
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How many indigenous players are on the Richmond list?
Day 1 of our Indigenous support manager arriving to provide support to our indigenous players
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